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Visit the official site for the Durango & Silverton Railroad
or call 877-872-4607
Bar D Chuckwagon
970.247.5753 - 888.800.5753
Great Western stage show and delicious barbeque supper. Open nightly Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Reservations required.
Boot Barn
830 S. Camino Del Rio,
Durango 970-247-7720 www.bootbarn.com
While you're in Colorado, skip the souvenir shops. Instead, take home the real - the Wild - the west from Boot Barn.This is where cowboys find everything you want incouding shirts, jeans, hats and accessories.
Soaring Tree Top Adventures
970-769-2357
www.soaringcolorado.com
Tree Top Adventures, the largest, safest zipline tour available anywhere, has just gotten larger. In 2011, three new spans will open to the public, making a total of 27 ziplines in the ecofriendly course.
Grumpy's Restaurant & Saloon
at The Grand Imperial Hotel
1219 Greene St., Silverton 81433
1-800-341-3340 • www.grandimperialhotel.com
World-famous French Onion soup. Live honky tonk piano. Featured in John Feilder's "Best of Colorado." Open year-round. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Full bar with microbrews on tap. Located at the Grand Imperial Hotel.
Natalia's Family Restaurant
970.387.5300 - Silverton
Just 60 feet from where the train stops! Affordable family dining, serving hot American, Italian, and Mexican favorites.
Strater Hotel
699 Main Ave. - Durango
970.247.4431
Get on board and experience the charm, history and excitement.
Inside the Strater:
Mahogany Grille
Henry Strater Theater
The Jewelry Works
965 Main Ave - Durangp
970.247.3173
Creators of custom one-of-a-kind jewelry.
Southern Ute
Cultural Center & Museum
www.southernutemuseum.com
Come Live Our Story. Opening June 2011
Stay the Trail
www.staythetrail.org
The mission of Stay The Trail Colorado is to encourage the responsible use of the roads and trails that are open to motorized recreation in Colorado. Stay The Trail Colorado is a program of the Responsible Recreation Foundation. Looking for resources and information aout the use of off-highway vehicles? visit Stay The Trail for maps and up-todate information. |
All Aboard! Durango & Silverton Railroad Guide
A Colorful History Meets a Green Future at the D&SNGRR
by Andrea Seid
Matt Fenton, D&SNG Warehouse Manager
prepares to deposit Green Bottle Spring Water into the ORCA
Green Machine for composting. photo courtesy > Yvonne Lashmett
While American Heritage Railways, parent company of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, is dedicated to preserving the history and authenticity of the railroad, it's also committed to moving toward the most modern and creative ways to be "green."
Over the last five years, railroad owners Allen and Carol Harper have significantly increased efforts to mitigate smoke emissions and offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the railroad's vehicle fleet. Working with the local organization CarbonZero, the railroad is financing the planting of more than 2,500 trees in the community, which will sequester an amount of carbon equal to emissions of 13 trucks and four busses over their useful lives.
One of the most successful efforts in recent years has been the installation of scrubbers on the roundhouse smokestacks. A coal-fired engine remains fired up between its daily trips, but its emissions while idling can be mitigated with such innovative features. In addition, the railroad is now using compressed sawdust wood pellets, a byproduct of the manufacturing at Muscanell Millworks, located in neighboring Mancos, CO, to fuel the locomotives overnight.
This has reduced smoke and particulates during the idling hours. Seeing a new opportunity to go one step further, the railroad is now the proud owner of the state-of-the-art ORCA Green™ Machine. According to Totally Green, the manufacturer, this machine is a revolutionary alternative to traditional organic waste disposal and is a "self-contained bioreactor." The ORCA is able to reduce up to 2,400 pounds of garbage every day into a nutrient-rich non-potable water that can safely be disposed of through the sanitary sewer system. The ORCA uses natural microorganisms to decompose organic waste into liquid "compost tea" and trace amounts of CO2. In addition to reducing garbage from the ecosystem, ORCA Green™ actually eliminates organic waste.
 In conjunction with obtaining the ORCA, the railroad has gone to using Green Bottle Spring Water, made with plant materials rather than petroleum-based plastic. These fully compostable, clean-burning green bottles can be responsibly disposed of through several different methods. An industrial compost facility, incineration or through PLA specific recycling all provide an environmentally healthy end-of-life for the bottles, keeping tens of thousands of bottles out of our landfills, wild spaces and oceans. American Heritage Railways' mission is to preserve and guard the history of this treasure we call the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. And in an effort to preserve it for generations to come, environmental initiatives will continue to be an integral part of the mission, as well.
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